Prep for Final Exam

FINAL EXAM:
Thursday, 12/10, 9-11AM

OFFICE HOURS FOR FINALS WEEK:
WED, 12/9 --> 9-12 AND 1-2
FRI, 12/11--> 9-10

WHAT TO BRING TO THE FINAL:
pen & pencil, blank paper & scantron #882-# (the long green one), This I Believe, course pack articles (see list below)

GENERAL TOPICS & TIPS FOR ESSAY PORTION OF FINAL:
see link
http://www.sartuno.com/classdocs/E60_FINAL_EXAM_PREP.doc

YOUR THESIS IDEAS AND QUESTIONS:
If you have a tentative thesis statement that you would like to get feedback on or have questions about the final, post them as a comment here and I'll reply to you here. I'll check this blog several times before our final to see what you have to say/ask, so check back!

YOUR PAPER #5:
A few of you haven't submitted Paper #5 to turnitin.com--> Do it today so I can grade it!

Final Review Assignment

Choose the top two grammar topics that you're not yet 100% confident about: run-ons, fragments, commas, pronoun case, pronoun agreement, verb tense, parallel structure, misplaced modifiers. Then,
1) Write two sample sentences for each of your top two grammar issues. Correct the sentences.
2) Create a mnemonic (memory trick to help you remember) or short list of points to help you remember how to address your top two grammar issues.

Due: Tuesday

No blog response this weekend

Just work on your extended drafts and read "My Two Lives."

Have a good Thanksgiving!

Post #12 & Reminders

Homework for this weekend:
--Read "Of My Friend Hector"
--Blog response
--Finish Connection Project write-up
--2-page typed draft of Paper #5 (we are running out of class days to work on these--come prepared)

Reminders:
1) If you want extra credit, you can e-mail me your 2-page draft early (by Monday morning) and I will give EC to the first three people I get drafts from, whether or not I use your draft in class.
2) Potluck in class on Tuesday! I will bring plates, utensils, napkins, and something to munch on. You are not required to bring something, but it would be fun if you did!

Blog Response Question:
Read "Of My Friend Hector." Then think of a time when you misjudged someone. What specific things contributed to your incorrect assessment of this person?

Length: one well-developed paragraph
Due: before our next class

Announcements, 11/12

1) As decided during class today, the final drafts of Paper #4 will be due THURSDAY (11/19) instead of Tuesday (11/17). Most of you agreed that you could use the extra two days to improve your papers. Since I'm giving you extra time to work on them, please take advantage of this and get feedback on your drafts: stop by my office hours, go to the Writing Center, or stop by the Tutoring Center.

2) HW for this weekend:
--Read "The Handicap of Definition" in your course pack.
--Prewrite and Thesis for Option 1 OR Option 2 of Paper #5. Here's a link to the prompt in case you missed in class: http://www.sartuno.com/classdocs/E60Paper5Prompt.doc


And here's a link to the list of strategies you all came up with today (this would be relevant for Option 2): http://www.sartuno.com/classdocs/StrategiesfromSadiqandBarry.doc
--Keep revising Paper #4.

HW for the long weekend

Dear class,
The calendar is off, so disregard the latest calendar. Your only HW for this weekend is to type up and start revising your Paper #4 drafts (revision of your in-class essay). If you missed class today, you can stop by my office early on Tuesday morning (i.e. well before class) to pick up your draft and start working on it (but you will have to send me an e-mail by Monday so I'll know if you're coming or not).

Have a good long weekend!

HW for the weekend

1. Stay on track with all readings listed on your calendar. You should be done with This I Believe II by our next class meeting.
2. Start your Personal Belief assignment. This assignment is intended to be low-key, so you might be able to finish it over the weekend.
3. You don't need to do the bullet-point list or the Opposing Viewpoints work listed on the calendar.

Have a good weekend!

Class schedule

Dear Class,
Okay, we're up and running again! We will have class as usual tomorrow--please make sure you're caught up with your reading HW and do the last blog response if you haven't already.

Since I cancelled class yesterday, I'm going to be making some adjustments to our schedule--stay tuned tomorrow for any changes.

Class Canceled, TUE, 10.27

Dear Class,
I'm still sick so class is canceled tomorrow. Please keep up with all the readings on your calendar and check back here in about a day or two for further announcements.
Take care & stay healthy! :)

Post #11: TIB picks

For your new blog post, finish your latest TIB reading and answer the following question:

Review the readings from pp. 155-199. If you could choose one essay that speaks to you the most from that section, which one would it be and why?

Length: 1-2 paragraphs
Due: Before our next class

Post #10 & Twitter article

For your new blog post, state which paper question you're more interested in, what your tentative answer is, and 5 ideas you have for supporting your argument.

In case you forgot, here are the two broad questions (your actual paper prompt for Thursday's in-class essay will be more specific than this):
1) Do the pros of modern technology outweigh the cons?
2) How has modern technology changed how humans interact?

Here's that Twitter article in case you're interested.
http://www.sartuno.com/classdocs/TwitterArticle.doc

Reminders for Thursday:
Bring a pen, paper, and your 3 technology articles (plus the Twitter one if you want to use it). You will have to use quotes in your essay.

Updated List of Rhetorical Strategies to use

http://www.sartuno.com/classdocs/RhetoricalStrategiesTechEssays[2].docx

Post #9 & Reminders

Dear Class,
For your new blog response, finish your new TIB reading and then answer the following question:
Consider all the TIB essays you've read so far. Choose one common theme and write a paragraph or two on *your* thoughts on that topic. (Remember that you'll be writing a TIB-style essay as your last paper assignment this semester.)

For your homework summary, summarize the Overload article. Bring your summary to class (don't post it here).

Reminders:
1) Be prepared, as usual, for a quiz (and be prepared for questions on run-ons, fragments, commas, and pronoun case).
2) Keep thinking about the pros and cons of technology. Also pay close attention to the strategies that the writers use in your homework readings. Doing both these things will help you prepare for your in-class essay (which is Thu, 10/22).

Post #8 & Announcements

Here's the technology pros and cons list from today's class:
http://www.sartuno.com/classdocs/TechnologyProsCons.doc

Don't forget that your next essay (an in-class essay) will have to do with technology.

For your new blog response, go ahead and choose one of the This I Believe essays from tonight's reading and write a reflection here (you don't need to print a hard copy).

For your reading summary, please summarize the Facebook Addiction article--turn in a hard copy of your summary on Thursday.

Paper #2 Help & Announcements

1) Here is the list of questions (with examples) that we went over in class today. As you revise your Paper #2, it'd be a good idea to look through this & the rubric I distributed today.

http://www.sartuno.com/classdocs/Paper2Questionstoanswer.doc

2) Remember that you must submit an electronic version of your Paper #2 final draft to turnitin.com (or I will not grade the hard copy that you turn in). If you forgot the instructions, here they are again. You do not need to give me a turnitin.com receipt or anything; the website will tell me when you've submitted your essay.

http://www.sartuno.com/classdocs/TurnitinInfo.doc

3) Please remember to attach ALL the work you did for Paper #2 under your final draft on Tuesday. That includes prewriting, all drafts, and peer feedback.

4) The reading is listed on your calendar. Be prepared for a reading quiz on Tuesday. BUT, you can skip the homework summaries and blog response this time. I would like you to spend that extra time on your Paper #2.

Have a good weekend & e-mail me if you have any questions!

Post #7 and Announcements

For your new blog response, read TIB pp. 56-84. Then choose one essay and write your reflection here.
Due: Before our next class meeting
Length: At least two well-developed paragraphs

Announcement: DON'T FORGET! Revise your Paper #2 drafts and BRING YOUR UPDATED DRAFTS TO CLASS ON THURSDAY. The majority of the class period will be devoted to providing specific feedback on your drafts since the final draft is due next Tuesday. :)

This I Believe website

Here's the link to the official This I Believe website. This is where you can listen to some of the writers read their essays aloud, read essays on specific themes that interest you (this is pretty fun), and find out more about the program.

http://thisibelieve.org/

Post a comment here if you find something that you like on the site! :)

Post #6: TIB Reflection

Dear Class,
For your new blog post, read This I Believe II, pp. 32-55. Then choose one of the essays you read and write a reflection here. Your reflection can discuss what impression the essay made on you, your reactions to it, what you think of the writer, what you agree/disagree with, etc. Be sure to include the title and author at the beginning of your reflection.

Due: Before our next class
Length: At least one well-developed paragraph

Note: No need to print out your reflection this time.
Reminder: Don't forget to do your typed, 2-page drafts!
Special reminder: Reem, Moises, Chanel, Aaron, Rogelio--don't forget to e-mail me your drafts by noon on Monday if you want extra credit. Thanks!

Announcements 9.29

Dear Class,
Just a reminder for tonight's HW-->
The pink calendar should have all your work listed, but here are the changes:

--Choose one essay from the This I Believe reading and summarize it.
--Don't worry about writing the reflection.

Everything else will stay the same. See you on Thursday!

Announcements 9.24

Dear Class,
Just a recap of today's announcements:
1) Please do the reading listed on the calendar ("China Doll" and "Who Am I?").
2) Also read the two articles I distributed in class today ("The Ugly Truth" and "Struggling for Perfection").
3) Since I'm giving you additional readings to do this weekend, you DON'T need to write reading summaries, the bullet-point list, or a blog response this time.
4) Don't forget that your Paper #1 Revision Assignment is due TUE, 9/29.
5) You don't need to bring This I Believe to class on Tuesday.

Have a good weekend!

Post #5 & Announcements

For your 5th post, read "My Inner Shrimp" and "Venus Envy" in your course pack. Then write a response to each one here. You can discuss your personal reactions, whether or not you identified with anything the authors said, things the articles made you think of, etc.

Length: One paragraph per response
Due: Before our next class meeting

Annnouncements:

1. Your blog responses and other homework are due Thursday, 9/24. So if, for example, you didn't do the "Marry Him" blog response yet, there's still time.
2. Start your revision assignments if you haven't already. That way, you can ask me on Thursday if you have any questions (you're also free to drop by office hours to run something by me).
3. Please bring your graded in-class essays to class on Thursday, 9/24. I'm planning to ask some of you for excerpts.

Grammar Links

Check these out for extra information and practice re: grammar! (Don't forget that grammar will start to show up on your regular quizzes)

This one has a variety of resources that are neatly organized for you: tutorials, exercise plans, etc. You will have to register, but it's free.
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/rewriting/ge1.html

Here's another one to check out.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm

Note: In some sites, things like run-ons are called "fused sentences."

Post #4: Response to "Marry Him"

For your new blog response, write at least one well-developed paragraph about your reactions to the "Marry Him" article. [If you haven't read the article yet, budget more time than usual to read it because it's longer than all the others.]

Due: Before our next class meeting

Class Brainstorm of Pros & Cons of Marriage

http://www.sartuno.com/classdocs/MarriageProsConsClassBrainstorm.doc

Post #3: Everything but the ring

For your new blog response, read "Everything But the Ring" and answer ONE of the following two questions:

1) If you're not married, do you want to get married someday (and if you are married, why did you choose to get married)? If you don't want to, why don't you want to?

OR, if you'd rather not talk about your own preferences, answer #2:
2) What do you think the pros and cons of marriage are?

Length: At least two well-developed paragraphs
Due: Before our next class meeting

Post #2: Good Grammar & Check-in

For your new blog response, answer the following two questions:
1) What are your reactions to "Good Grammar Gets the Girl"? (For example, can you relate to what she's saying? Disagree? Did you find it educational? ..?)
2) Remember the yellow Goals & Choices sheet you filled out? How are you doing with the goals and habits that you wanted to develop?-->What have you been doing well with? What areas are you planning to work more on?

Length: 1 well-developed paragraph per answer
Due: Before our next class (Thu, 9/10)

Reminders:
--Our class is not meeting on Tue, 9/8
--Come prepared for your in-class essay on Thu, 9/10

Have a good long weekend!

Notes from Tue, 9/1

Includes notes on the reading, descriptive writing, comparisons, thesis statements.

http://www.sartuno.com/classdocs/NotesfromWeek3Tuesday.doc

Post #1: Hi, Everyone

For tonight's blog post, write a short message here to the class:

Length: One sentence
Due: Before our next class meeting